The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

23. Friday Night Week Eight (pt1.)

23. Friday Night Week Eight (pt1.)

As Lana and I danced together on the dance floor, I realised that we definitely did this too much. Every other weekend we were in Staircase, at least I could placate myself with the fact that I was here for a reason; Eli's fights. My eyes scanned over the rest of my drunk friends, they, on the other hand, did not have a justifiable reason, drunkards.

We weren't watching the fight together tonight so I had to time my 'bathroom breaks' just right so that I could go check on Eli and his progress.

"I'm going for a wee," I yelled over the blaring music.

"Again?" Lana questioned me with a look on her face that screamed 'go check that out at the doctors', okay so maybe I wasn't timing them so well.

I nodded my head before weaving through the crowds and then expertly creeping off downstairs to Eli's changing room to wait for him. After a couple of minutes, he came in, panting due to exertion. He had blood dripping down from his eyebrow and his cheek was bruised along with several parts of his chest and abs, all of which I discovered upon removing his hoodie.

"Jesus, Eli," I pulled his head down to me so I could more easily examine his injuries, "sit down," I ordered, pointing at the mangy sofa pushed against the wall.

Too tired to argue, he sat on the sofa and pulled me in between his legs before letting me get to work on cleaning and fixing him up. My fingers deftly moved across his face, wiping away the blood, soothing his cuts. The one on his eyebrow looked particularly sore and as I ran my fingers over it softly, I noticed Eli wince.

"Eli," I said on a soft breath, "why do you keep doing this to yourself?"

Eli tilted his head back, out of my grasp and met my eyes with a smirk, "cause I love it when you patch me up."

Surprised but warmed by his response I leaned downwards to place a kiss against his lips. It was soft and gentle but it spoke volumes about the way we felt about each other — just that one action. I pulled away and brushed his hair out of his face, smiling at him.

"I wish I didn't have to though," I whispered.

Eli didn't have a chance to respond because in the next moment, Max was pushing the door open and listing of all the ways Eli could improve in the next fight. Having finished patching him up and knowing that I needed to leave and rejoin our friends, I gave him a soft smile before making my way back upstairs to where the rest of our friends awaited.

"Where'd you go?" Noah questioned me as I sat down with him at our booth.

"Loo," I responded before seeking out his warmth and cuddling up to his side for comfort. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, letting my head rest on his chest as he spoke to Jasper. Feeling put out by constantly seeing Eli hurt, I was no longer in the mood to party. I didn't understand why he had to keep fighting. I knew a part of him enjoyed it; the adrenaline rush, the cheering crowd, the power of beating someone. But then I also knew that a large part of him disliked it; the sneaking around, the bruises and cuts, the lying.

"What's on your mind?" Noah asked, looking down at me.

"All sorts," I replied with a smile which I didn't really feel. All I had been doing lately was lying — to him the most. He had no idea what was going on between me and Eli. He knew we were friends but he had no clue about any of the other stuff and I knew that if I told him, he would lose it. After my last relationship, Noah had been very protective and I knew that there was no way in hell that Eli was ever going to get his approval.

At that moment Eli emerged from the crowd, looking all cleaned up but his eyes instantly darkened when they saw me tucked away under Noah's arm. He froze in his movements before he turned on his heel and made his way over to the bar, shit.

I untucked myself from Noah before following Eli through the crowd, stopping when I was stood right next to him at the bar, "I thought you didn't drink."

"They still serve water, Rei." Great, he wasn't calling me 'tigru,' he was pissed.

"You're mad," I stated

"Why would I be mad? It's just Noah, the guy who isn't going anywhere," he responded, referring to the discussion we had on my sofa last week.

"Exactly, but that doesn't mean that there is anything going on between us."

"You think I don't know that?" He practically growled out.

"Then why are you mad?"

"Who the fuck said I was mad?"

"Look at the way you're acting, Eli!" I exclaimed

"You're reading into shit again."

My eyes narrowed at the side of his face, "fine, then," I huffed out. I turned as if to make my way back over to the booth but Eli grabbed my wrist and spun me back around, so predictable. He manoeuvred me so I was leaning against the bar and he was stood in front of me, caging me in — just like the last time we had an argument in this club.

"Where the fuck are you going?"

"Back over to Noah," I replied, "you said you didn't have a problem so..."

"Dammit, Rei!" He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and I just leant back against the bar, waiting for an explanation. His jaw clenched and I could practically hear his teeth grinding together.

Releasing a sigh, I grabbed his face between my hands and turned it so that he was looking straight at me, "if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't fix it."

"Why do you always have to try and fix everything, Reillyn?" His blazing eyes were ensnaring my own.

"Would you rather things be like this?" I motioned between the two of us wildly.

"Obviously fucking not."

"Then tell me what's wrong," I asked softly.

"You're so familiar with him," he started, he was speaking through gritted teeth, as if it pained him to say the words out loud, "and I know he's permanent in your life but," he paused and cupped my face, looking me directly in the eye as he spoke, "but every time I see you hugging him or laughing with him, I just want to punch his fucking teeth out."

"Why though?"

"Cause I know you'll never have that with me," his hands fell away from my face as he took a step back, a step away from me. I saw those shutters fall over his eyes again as his face wiped clean of emotion, dammit. Eli closed himself off to me before storming out of the club and walking away from me again.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

1179 words^

Short one but a lot of emotion

pt2 next